New Blog Series--From Sea To Shining Sea Part 4

 

We were out before dawn since we had such a short day yesterday (only 250 miles).   arrived in Meridian, Bosque County.  But we can’t resist a drive through the old town before sunup to see the old courthouse and take a couple of pictures of  “The Attorney-At-Law and Dentist” sign, and the “First National Bank of M.T.”  The courthouse straight out of the 1700’s can be seen sticking above the gently rolling land dotted with trees.  Diesel gas is $2.79 today.  When we stopped, Darrel took up with an old farmer who was cleaning his truck windows.  A lean cowboy type, 6’6”, his truck was hooked to an Alison Chalmers Grader that he had built from a kit.  He must have been about ten years old when he’d done that, Mr. L. Charles Howard (pleased to meet you) said that the courthouse used to be plain Jane so the city rebuilt it and now it’s real “fancy.” Which it is.

The land makes me want my youth and my foxtrotter who could travel overland about as fast as this truck.  The map isn’t marked as a scenic highway, but it should be.

You can come for me in Meridian Texas when I go missing, as I’ve mentioned before.

Outside of Hico, a bunch of buzzards hunched along a fence rail made me flinch. These were the really awful scroungey looking buzzards.  Everything is scroungey in West Texas.  We saw lots of horsefarms-ranch houses with old wagon wheels on their front porches and ranch gates.

We stopped in Hico for pictures of the Jersey Lilly Saloon and a great mural on adjoining wall.  Too bad we won’t be here for the well advertised, “Hico’s 150th birthday chili cookoff on Oct. 2.”  Darrel was really disgusted we’d miss it.

Cattles ranches and what looks like game reserves surround us out of Hico.  Ahead looks like some serious rain may get us yet.

Dublin, Texas people have green headlights and their “Dublin Texas” sign has a shamrock in the “x”.  You think they’re all Irish?

I need to look up which Indian tribes would have been riding  all the pintos we see on these ranches.  The road began going rough, so we’re looking forward to Highway I-20 about ten miles away.

Next, Cisco, Texas, must be where the Cisco Kid came from?  Now if I could just remember which tribe Tonto came from.  I think I just dated myself.

We could get 400 miles under us today and end up in New Mexico overnight.  The big trees are gone for the duration and we’re left with 20’ high pepper and scrub oak types along I-20.  The wind is up and Darrel’s eyes are starting to squint.  We’ve found Texas Longhorns with maps spread over their bodies.  And I think we’re going to miss the rain again because the wind has taken the hand of the clouds and run away to the east.

We just passed another state patrol car parked on the median with blacked out windows.  I wonder if there are any motors in this Texas speed-control program car.  Now wind machines have appeared outside of Abilene.  It’s a perfect place for them.  Our Coyote Trailer is so stable behind us we’re blessed once again.  Like creatures from a StarWars movie the wind machines loom 250’ tall.  Ten foot-trees look more like Oleander bushes.  And they’re positioned along a huge flattop mesa off to our left.  A mesa forest of white sticks. (wind machines)

Earlier I put Abby up on the dashboard and pointed west so she could see Abilene, but she went to sleep.  I guess she’d not been impressed.  At Sweetwater we turn onto I-84 where they’re growing cotton, rusted equipment and oilwells.  West Texas is definitely not it.  Neither would I want to live on Stink Creek Road.  But “Belly Acres Paint and Quarter Horses” looks kind of interesting.  Ha!  But about a million wind machines standing there and not turning ruin the ambiance.  Huh?  Why aren’t they turning?

The new goal is Clovis New Mexico.  We lost all symptoms of trees and shrubs near New Mexico.  The sky is crystal blue, 77 degrees and we can verify the curvature of the earth.  A zillion acres of cotton proves all the people are still in Houston.